Telecommunications networks are important for providing global data and voice communication. Monitoring the networks is important to ensure reliable operation, fault detection, timely mitigation of potentially malicious activities and more. Network taps are known for connecting to networks and providing a port to monitor the communication traffic on the network. Network monitors are known for providing information to other network elements.
In order to maintain the integrity of network monitors, it is important to implement a fault detection technique where certain network components can signal an alarm in the event of a fault in another component. This is important because a faulty component may not provide a reliable alarm signal, for example, if the power supply fails and the component is without power to provide the alarm.
Conventional network taps provide an alarm signal in the event of power failure in monitoring equipment. While this may be a common occurrence, it is not the only occurrence that can lead to a fault. What is needed is a network tap that can provide additional integrity verification of network monitoring components.